ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Even with 155 years of history, the British Open can still serve up some strange twists at St. Andrews.

Dustin Johnson gave Saturday some semblance of order.

The second round lasted nearly 39 hours from the first tee shot to the final putt. Brooks Koepka hit one putt in 30 minutes, and he might still be on the 11th green except that he refused to keep going because his golf ball wouldn’t stay put. Jordan Spieth, who won the Masters and U.S. Open on the strength of his great short game, three-putted five times in one round and still kept alive his hopes of a Grand Slam.

If that wasn’t enough, 40 mph gusts that led to a 10 1/2-hour stoppage meant the British Open will end on Monday for the first time in 27 years.

For all the chaos on the Old Course, and for all the debate whether play should have even started Saturday because of the wind, Johnson only cared about the finish. He drove the 18th green and took two putts from 150 feet for birdie and a 3-under 69.

That gave him a one-shot lead over Danny Willett of England, who for the second straight year did not hit a single shot in the British Open on Saturday. Last year it was because he missed the cut. This time it was because he finished his second round Friday.

Not so unusual – at least not now – was Tiger Woods. He missed the cut for the third time in the last four majors.

One month after a three-putt from 12 feet cost him a shot at the U.S. Open, Johnson walked the Old Course with a swagger. He did enough damage over 13 holes Friday that even a couple of bogeys didn’t get him off track, and he showed in the short time he played Saturday he could handle the wind.

“Every aspect of your game is challenged,” said Johnson, who was at 10-under 134.

Paul Lawrie, the 46-year-old Scot who won a crazy Open at Carnoustie in 1999, played bogey-free over the final 14 holes for a 70 and was two shots behind. Louis Oosthuizen (70) and Jason Day (71) joined the large group at 7-under 137 that included Adam Scott and Zach Johnson, who finished Friday.

Spieth, going after the third leg of the Grand Slam, shot 72 and was five behind.

As gusts began to top 40 mph when the second round resumed in the morning, Johnson chose to chip up the steep slope at the front of the par-5 14th green. He didn’t hit quite hard enough. And then, the player with a reputation of being it too much of a hurry at the majors made the mistake of taking his time. An inch away from placing his coin behind the ball to mark it, a gust moved his ball and it picked up enough momentum to roll off the green and cause Spieth race toward his ball and then jump out of the way.

“My coin was about to hit the ground when it took off,” Johnson said. “Then I went to mark it again, and it took off again. And then Jordan was running to his ball. It was pretty funny. I was laughing at him. I wasn’t laughing at myself.”

Three putts later, Johnson had his second bogey of the week. One hole later, the R&A realized it was too windy to continue.

Johnson returned nearly 11 hours later, made two solid pars and finished with his birdie. It was the fourth time in the last six rounds at the majors that he has had at least a share of lead, though not when it mattered – at the end.

This might be his best chance yet.

Spieth three-putted for par on the 14th hole and swiped his putter in disgust as leaving two of those putts short. He had another three-putt from about 90 feet on the 17th hole. But he stayed in the game by driving the 18th green for a birdie.

“I believe I’m still in contention. I still believe I can win this tournament,” Spieth said.

But after spending two days playing alongside Johnson, he also realized a third straight major will require some help.

“I need a really solid round tomorrow because Dustin is not letting up,” Spieth said. “Dustin is going to shoot a good round tomorrow with less wind, and I’m going to need to shoot a great round to really give myself a chance.”

The second round didn’t finish Friday because a burst of heavy rain flooded the course. That was nothing compared with the gusts off the Eden Estuary, and the R&A knew it was going to be on the edge to play. R&A officials said they spent an hour on the 11th green – the most exposed part of the golf course – to make sure golf balls weren’t moving. And then it started, and Koepka’s ball wouldn’t stay put.

He took nearly 30 minutes to hit one putt. He kept marking his golf ball and protesting with a rules official and finally said he wouldn’t play when his ball moved a couple of inches on three occasions. A few holes ahead, Oosthuizen putted up to 3 feet on the 13th. A gust blew it a few feet away and, as the South African laughed at the absurdity, it moved about 8 feet away.

About that time, play was halted and didn’t resume until 6 p.m.

Ultimately, what mattered was the finish.

Just not for Woods. He never had a realistic chance of making the cut. Needing mostly birdies, he resumed his round with three straight bogeys and shot 75 to finish his two rounds at 7-over 151. That was his highest 36-hole ever in the British Open, one month after his highest 36-hole total ever (156) to miss the cut in the U.S. Open.

Graham DeLaet recorded a second-round 73 and sits T61 heading into the third round. David Hearn will not being teeing it up tomorrow after rounds of 74 and 73.

OPELIKA, Ala. — Playing partners Ricky Barnes and Scott Piercy started the third round with similar birdies and ended it with matching scores – and the lead.

They each shot 6-under 65 on Saturday to share the lead in the PGA Tour’s inaugural Barbasol Championship. Barnes and Piercy reached 13-under 200 on Grand National’s Lake Course, and will be paired together again while jockeying for the top spot Sunday.

The pairing worked well for both in the third round.

“We were both hitting solid shots, giving ourselves good looks,” Barnes said. “And we both got off to a great start. We both holed about an 18-20-footer on the first hole. So we saw balls going in the hole, saw good shots. Not so much competing, but kind of feeding off each other.”

Piercy birdied four of the first five holes. He has won twice on the PGA Tour.

“I’ve won a couple of times where I think a couple of the guys that are up there haven’t won yet,” Piercy. “I think that’s probably a bigger advantage is that I’ve gotten it done a couple of times. Not worried about locking up my card this week or stuff like that is another advantage.”

Count Barnes, who had birdies on Nos. 16 and 17, among the winless. He’s seeking his first PGA Tour win in 202 events.

Barnes came closest to victory with a runner-up finish in the 2009 U.S. Open. That also was the only other time he held or shared a 54-hole lead.

Second-round co-leaders Whee Kim and Mark Hensby were among five players a shot back. Both shot 68 in the event for players who failed to make the British Open field. Jason Gore had a 63, Will Wilcox a 65, and Emiliano Grillo a 67 to join the group at 12 under.

The 43-year-old Hensby, from Australia, surged with a 4-under performance over the final three holes, starting with an eagle on the par-5 16th. He had fallen to 8 under.

He has limited tour status after battling rotator cuff problems in his right shoulder. Hensby won the 2004 John Deere Classic for his only PGA Tour title.

Kim was similarly up and down. He had four birdies on the first nine holes then a five-hole span that included three bogeys and two more birdies.

Gore knocked 10 strokes off his Friday score, when he had five bogeys for a 73. He rebounded with a bogey-free round and birdies on five of the final eight holes.

“Shockingly enough, I was still pretty positive,” said Gore, whose only PGA Tour win came a decade ago. “I knew I wasn’t out of this golf tournament, I was only 5 back as bad as I played (Friday).”

Wilcox, a former UAB star from Birmingham, 6 under over the final nine holes, including an eagle on the par-5 16th. The big reason: “My putter kind of came alive,” he said.

Wilcox might have jitters before his final round but that’s nothing new.

“I’ll be nervous at the start, but I’m pretty much nervous every round I play,” he said. ” Once I get settled in, that’s when I can chill out.”

Canadian Roger Sloan posted a third-round 68 to sit T39 heading into Sunday.

SYLVANIA, Ohio — Ha Na Jang parred the last five holes Saturday for a 2-under 69, leaving her a stroke ahead with one round left in the LPGA Tour’s rain-plagued Marathon Classic.

The South Korean player had an 11-under 202 total at Highland Meadows. Fighting back pain, she opened with rounds of 66 and 67 and has only two bogeys over the first 54 holes.

Play was delayed for 1 hour, 59 minutes in the afternoon. Delays Friday forced 54 players to complete the second round Saturday morning.

Seeking her first LPGA Tour victory, Jang said her target is to finish at 15 under.

“I don’t want to think about any players. Just myself, confidence, concentration and play,” Jang said.

South Korea’s Q Baek was second. She birdied the final hole for a 68.

“Overall I missed a lot of putts today,” Baek said. “But I was just happy with the way I played.”

Jang and Baek have played against each other numerous times over 10 years on the Korean tour.

“We have played a lot of events against each other,” Baek said through a translator, adding that she and Jang played together on the South Korean national team. “We have a pretty good friendship. I am just one shot behind Ha Na. The main focus is to keep my temper down, and try to stay calm and play as best golf as I can and stay positive.”

Defending champion Lydia Ko, ranked No. 2 in the world, was 9 under after a 67 in a group that included top-ranked Inbee Park. Ko also was second, two shots off the lead last year.

“It’s great to be back,” Ko said. “I don’t mind the position I’m in right now. It’s great to return to a course where you’ve played well. There is a little bit of expectation and a lot more people recognize you and you kind of get that support. So there are pluses and minuses.”

Ko said the putts started dropping for her in the second and third rounds.

“I’ve been hitting it pretty solid so I’ve been trying to give myself plenty of opportunities,” Ko said.

Park also had a 67.

“It was a long day,” Park said. “But no bogeys today, which is really good. I feel like I have played pretty solid the last couple of days. I still feel I left a few out there. I am satisfied where I am.”

Chella Choi, Austin Ernst and Shanshan Feng were tied with Ko and Park.

Choi had a 65, the best round of the day. She started her round with a bogey, but then made seven birdies, including three of the last four holes.

“Actually, my shot is good, but I don’t make that (many putts),” Choi said. “So just one birdie Thursday. But yesterday and today my shots really good and made more putts.”

Ernst, who had five birdies, finished her second round with a double bogey for a 66, but was able to wide out that memory and play a solid third round.

“I just said it was one bad swing and then – you know, just made a bad swing and a bad putt,” Ernst said about her double bogey. “So really over the last two days that’s the only blemish on the card.

“I am hitting it well. I just need to make a few putts.”

Feng shot a 68.

Third-ranked Stacy Lewis was tied for 23rd at 5 under after a 69.

Alena Sharp shot a 4-under 67 today and is currently T8 but only 3 shots back of Ha Na Jang’s lead heading into tomorrow’s final round.

Alena Sharp, Jenny Suh and Jaye Marie Green earned spots in the Women’s British Open. Sarah Kemp and Dewi Claire Schreefel locked up spots Friday.

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — The final round of the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel promises to be a shootout, with four players sharing the lead heading into Sunday at the Whitewater Golf Club.

Listowel, Ontario’s Corey Conners, Otsego, Minnesota’s Clayton Rask, Cape Coral, Florida’s Chase Marinell and Australia’s David McKenzie all sat at 14-under through 54 holes, with 14 players within two shots of the lead heading into the final round of the sixth Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada event of the 2015 season.

“This is fun. It was a lot of fun out there today, and I expect to have a lot of fun as well tomorrow. It’s enjoyable to have some pressure on you, and it’s what we all work for out here,” said Conners, who shot a 2-under 70 to take a share of the lead heading into Sunday.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Mike Van Sickle birdied six of his first seven holes to build a three-shot lead early on Saturday, but made three bogeys and a double bogey coming in to finish at 13-under. That set the stage for McKenzie (67) and Marinell (68) to post the clubhouse lead, with Rask and Conners matching them in the day’s final two groups.

“Today, guys got off to a great start but it looks like they struggled a bit coming in. There are some good scores out there, it’s just a matter of if you can hang on I guess,” said McKenzie, a veteran 47-year old who has made 183 starts on the Web.com Tour and owns victories on the PGA Tour of Australasia and PGA TOUR China Series, where he won twice last year and finished sixth on the Order of Merit.

Playing at the opposite end of the spectrum, the 23-year old Marinell carded a 4-under 68, continuing a strong rookie season on the Mackenzie Tour that has him ranked 26th on the Order of Merit.

“I’ve been in the position not to win, but kind of in contention so I kind of know what to expect. There’s still going to be some nerves involved, but that’s just part of golf and if you don’t have nerves, something’s wrong,” said Marinell, who finished T8 at The Players Cup last week.

Rask, who played in the day’s final group with Gligic, rebounded from a tough start with three straight birdies on his back nine to shoot a 2-under 70 and share the lead. Michael Gligic posted a round of 73 today to fall to T8.

“When you get flustered, you just have to remain calm and try not to take yourself out of it. You just need to make one birdie and get back to even and start running from there,” said Rask.

One shot back at 13-under were Order of Merit No. 2 J.J. Spaun, Van Sickle and Drew Evans, who finished T7 here last year.

Albin Choi signed for a score of 2-under 70 and currently sits T14 heading into Sunday.

Markham, Ont. – Canada’s Austin Connelly shot a third-round 2-under 70 at Angus Glen Golf Club to sit within striking distance of medal podium contention in the Pan Am Games Golf Competition at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.

Connelly, 18, made an early charge up the leaderboard, at one point sitting solo second at the turn. His lone blemish on an otherwise steady day would be a double-bogey on the par-four 11^th hole at Angus Glen Golf Club. The first year member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Squad heads into Sunday’s final round with a share of third with two other golfers at 7-under par, four shots off the lead.

Canadian Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., battled tough in his third round, carding a quadruple bogey, two bogeys and six birdies to finish even-par for the second consecutive day and 7-over through three rounds at Angus Glen, good for a share of 20^th position. Rank’s play has been consistent except for blow-up holes in each of tournament rounds round including three triples and a quad over 54 holes.

Second-round leader Felipe Aguilar of Chile shot a three-under 69 (11-under through 54 holes) to head into Sunday’s final round with a two-shot lead over Colombia’s Marcelo Rozo, who tied the course-record 63 to sit two shots back at 9-under. Canada’s Austin Connelly is tied for third at 7-under with Argentina’s Tommy Cocha and American Lee McCoy.

Click here to the see the complete men’s individual leaderboard

In the women’s individual competition, Canadian Lorie Kane followed up a disappointing 83 on Friday with 3-over 75 to climb into a share of 20^th position at 21-over through 54 holes.

Sitting atop the women’s leaderboard is American Andrea Lee who shot a two-under 70 Saturday to climb to nine-under for the tournament, good for a two-shot lead over Columbia’s Mariajo Uribe while Julieta Granada of Paraguay is solo third at 5-under.

Click here see the complete women’s individual leaderboard

In the overall mixed team competition, Canada moved up two position into 9^th spot through 54 holes. The team competition counts the top male and female score each day from each of the participating countries.

Click here to see the complete overall team leaderboard

Due to the expected inclement weather Sunday, July 19, final round tee times for the Pan Am Games will be off split tees starting at 8 A.M. Players will play from both the 1^st and 10^th holes. Regulation play is estimated to be completed by 3 P.M. (followed by any required playoffs). Medal ceremonies will commence immediately following the end of competition, if the weather conditions are suitable.

THIRD-ROUND QUOTES FROM TEAM CANADA:

Austin CONNELLY (CAN)

On his scoring on the par-fives this week:

“I really attribute that, more to (the fact that) I switched wedges right before the week started. I had ’em shipped to Angus Glen. And I changed wedge shafts, and these wedges have a little more feel at the bottom. They’re a little bit heavier. And I have much better feel. Right now, if I have anything inside about 80 yards, pretty much all week, I’ve been inside four or five feet.”

On being three shots off the lead:

“It’s just a golf tournament; it’s another round tomorrow. Come out and hit all the shots as good as you can. Add ’em up at the end and see where you are.”

On the fan support:

“Ya, it’s pretty special to have all the fans out here. It’s been a great experience the last couple days. I’ve gotten a lot of support, which is always nice. To hear the cheers…it’s really a great atmosphere here.”

On his performance so far:

“I feel like I’ve played solid. I can definitely hit the ball better. I need to ball-strike better to have a chance to win tomorrow (July 19). But I’m really rolling it well right now. I feel like if I can just give myself a lot of opportunities, I feel like I can make a lot of birdies.”

Garrett RANK (CAN)

On his first three rounds of the tournament:

“It’s been an adventurous first three days; it’s really been feast or famine but a lot of great golf, just two or three bad holes.”

“I had a good game plan coming into this week and felt comfortable, just four bad holes; three triple bogeys and a quadruple bogey, quickly that’s thirteen over… you just can’t make big numbers.”

On his quadruple bogey on hole #4 today:

“I got off to a really good start and didn’t really hit a bad shot and then just got caught in the long grass and took a bunch to get it out of there. It was nice to fight back… it could have been a really good day, a lot of good golf and nothing to be discouraged about.” 

Lorie KANE (CAN)

On her bounce back round of 3-over 75, eight shots better than Friday’s second round 83:

“I just felt a little more comfortable. I did some work last night. I probably hit the middle of the clubface a few more times today. (On the greens) I never holed anything today, really. But felt good about most things, so we’ll just build from there.”

On her mindset for tomorrow:

“Go out and entertain. That’s what I do. I play golf for a living and I’m very lucky to be able to do that. And to have the Pan American Games and be a part of that here in Toronto, with the great fans and the support that we’re getting, and all the people in orange t-shirts that are the support team around the Pan Ams. It’s pretty special. I think the city’s done a great job.”

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Annie Park (Levittown, N.Y.) said one of her favorite hobbies is sleep. She’ll need a good night’s rest tonight as she takes a 54-hole lead into the final round of her fourth event as a professional. Park carded a 3-under 69 and stands at 12-under 204, three strokes ahead of 2011 Solheim Cup member Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Fla.). Park is the lone player in the field with three rounds in the 60’s.

“A good finish tomorrow would mean a lot, everything really is happening so fast like I said yesterday,” explained the 20-year-old Park. “I just need to focus on me and regardless of the results if I just try my best out there I think I’ll be happy.”

Park started strong with a birdie on the second and a birdie on the seventh to get to 11-under. She hit a bump in the road with back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth to make the turn at even par for the day.

“The first few holes, I missed some greens, but I made 10-foot par putts so I was like ‘thank god’,” said Park. “On the back nine, I started putting better and that was key to my round.”

Park rebounded immediately with birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. Her final birdie of the day came on the 15th hole. Putting has been key all week for Park, who has attempted 28 putts or less all three rounds.

Although she has been in the lead before, she said this position feels different.

“There are so many great golfers out here,” said Park, who won five times at USC including the 2013 NCAA individual title. “It is definitely different than college golf, but I am having a lot of fun out here.”

Park had a chance to sleep in this morning after play was delayed until 12:00 p.m. due to nearly three inches of rain overnight. Her original tee time of 11:43 a.m. was pushed back to 2:01 p.m.

“I don’t have any special meals or routine tonight, I just need to be able to sleep,” said Park. “I woke up at 10 today and saw my phone said flash flooding so I said ‘yes, I get to sleep more’ and then I got the email that play was delayed.”

Park won’t be able to sleep in on Sunday as she’ll tee at 10:01 a.m. in the final group with Hurst and Marina Choi (-8).

Canadians Sara-Maude Juneau and Jessica Wallace both shot rounds of 70 today and are T7. Maude-Aimee Leblanc also signed for a round of 70 and currently holds the 18th spot. Natalie Gleadall fell to T22 with a round of 74. Brooke Henderson is T34 with a score of 73.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RESULTS

CN and Golf Canada are pleased to announce the six champions of Saturday’s CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event at the Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., site of next week’s 2015 RBC Canadian Open.

The National Event, running for the seventh consecutive year, crowned female and male champions from three age groups (9-11, 12-14 and 15-18). Among the 22 participants from across the country, the following six individuals emerged as champions:

• Eric Collier, Copper Creek Golf Club, ON (Boys 9-11)
• Emily Zhu, Copper Creek Golf Club, ON (Girls 9-11)
• Nathan Hogan, Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club, NB (Boys 12-14)
• Laura Wong, Seymour Golf & Country Club, BC (Girls 12-14)
• Tyler Leclair, Seymour Golf & Country Club, BC (Boys 15-18)
• Elizabeth Blier, Club de Golf La Vallée du Richelieu, QC (Girls 15-18).

The winners of each age group received a champion’s package from Titleist Footjoy. In addition, Tyler Leclair and Elizabeth Blier – winners of the 15-18 age groups – have earned exemptions into their local 2016 CN Future Links Championship.

“It was really fun playing against all the great competition out here,” said boys 9-11 winner Eric Collier. “I really wasn’t sure if I was going to win but I hit a few great shots in the end and came out on top today, it was so much fun.”

Saturday’s National Event tested juniors in a four-part skills challenge which tested putting, chipping, driving and iron play. The participants, split into three different age groups, were invited based on their scores from individual Skills Challenge events hosted at local clubs throughout the year by CN Future Links instructors.

To celebrate the event being hosted for the first time leading into the RBC Canadian Open, junior participants will also have the opportunity to test the storied Glen Abbey layout in an exciting match play format on Sunday, July 19^th. Following that, junior participants will be provided weekly grounds passes and have an opportunity to be involved in Monday’s Canada Day Pro-Am and secure a spot in Wednesday’s CN Future Links Walk with a Pro event during the Championship Pro-Am.

“The CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event is in place to recognize individuals from across the country in three age groups who have accumulated the highest score in our four key skill areas—chipping, putting, iron play and driving,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The event’s first time being integrated into the RBC Canadian Open made for a very memorable event and we thank all competitors for their participation.”

Current CN Future Links programming includes the Learn to Play program as well as mobile clinics, PGA Jr. League, Girls Club, Field Trip and the CN Future Links Championships. As part of its investment in Canadian junior golf, CN is also a proud supporter of Golf in Schools.

In 2014, CN Future Links junior golf activities were conducted at 455 golf facilities with more than 7,000 juniors registered in the Learn to Play program. In addition, 160 golf facilities took part in the Junior Skills Challenge running more than 3,200 juniors through qualifying events. More than 56,000 youngsters participated in more than 1,200 mobile golf clinics across the country. Since 2006, more than 1.2 million children have been introduced to golf through the CN Future Links program.

Click here for pictures of CN Future Links at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Tiger Woods at least enjoyed that familiar walk over the Swilcan Bridge and up the 18th fairway Saturday at St. Andrews, the gray old town in the background and a crowd six deep lining the road and watching from windows.

Not so familiar was his score.

He hasn’t had 7-over par next to his name at St. Andrews since he was a 19-year-old amateur, and that was the final round. This was only the second round, and he was headed home early for the third time in the last four majors.

“It’s one of the things I was talking about with Jason (Day). We were coming up 18, I said, `It’s the greatest walk in golf,'” Woods said after a 75 to finish two miserable days at 151, his worst 36-hole score in the British Open.

“He said, `Yeah, it’s nice when you have an eight-shot lead, too,” Woods added with a smile.

Woods won by eight shots in 2000 to complete the career Grand Slam. He won by five shots in 2005 to establish anew his dominance in the game.

Those days seem so long ago.

The former No. 1 player in the world and 14-time major champion looked tired, beaten and stressed as he made his way around one of his favorite courses. He had only three birdies over 36 holes and said he has no idea why his shots didn’t penetrate in the wind and why he couldn’t get it close enough to the hole.

“The golf course wasn’t playing that hard,” Woods said. “I just didn’t get much out of any of the two rounds.”

That’s been the story all year. For the first time, he missed the cut in the U.S. Open and the British Open in the same season, and neither was close. In those two championships he has won a combined six times, Woods beat only four players at Chambers Bay and seven players at St. Andrews.

And so the mystery continues.

Woods will fall out of the top 250 when the next world ranking is published after starting the year at No. 32. He already has had three rounds in the 80s this year after having just one for his entire career. He had hope coming off The Greenbrier, where he tied for 32nd and was six shots behind.

He looked lost on the Old Course.

“I felt like I was playing well enough to win this event,” Woods said.

He arrived on Saturday to do a junior clinic for Nike – Woods typically is all about preparations at the majors – and then after practice rounds on Sunday and Monday, he didn’t play another practice round on the Old Course until the championship started. Woods said he knew the course, practiced in both wind directions and wanted to conserve energy for what usually is a long week.

Except for the weather – rain on Friday, wind on Saturday – that made the second round take 24 hours to complete, this was a short week.

Woods plays in two weeks at his Quicken Loans National, and then he most likely closes his 2014-15 season at the PGA Championship. He said he still had designs on winning his tournament to become eligible for the Bridgestone Invitational.

He won’t see St. Andrews again until the British Open returns, likely in 2021.

“I’ll probably have less hair then,” Woods said, “and hopefully a little better game.”

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The president of the IOC says golf doesn’t have to put on a spectacular show in its return to the Olympics after a 112-year absence except to have good competition among a wide range of the best players in the world.

Even if the best players do not include Tiger Woods.

In a press conference Saturday at St. Andrews that ranged from golf’s anti-doping policy to the format that will be used in Rio de Janeiro next year, Thomas Bach said it was best to see how golf performs before deciding whether it was worth bringing the sport back to the games.

“I’m very sure that golf there will find its place,” Bach said.

The support of Woods was seen as critical when golf was pushing to get back to the Olympics for the first time since 1904. Bach said he met with the 14-time major champion in February at the skiing world championships in Colorado when Woods was still dating Lindsey Vonn.

“I asked him about Rio and talked to him that `I would like to welcome you next to Rio.’ And then he already said, `I would love to play, and I will do everything to qualify, but I’m not sure whether it will work,'” Bach said. “Seeing what’s happening here, unfortunately, maybe he was right. So I would really feel sorry for him, But this would in no way influence the quality of the Olympic tournament.”

Woods was headed toward another missed cut in a major at the British Open. The completion of the second round was delayed by high wind Saturday morning, though Woods already was six shots over the projected cut with six holes to play.

He was still among the top 70 players in the world when Woods met Bach in February. Now he is No. 241 and about to drop even more.

“It’s a pity for himself,” Bach said. “For the IOC, again, it’s about the best athletes … whoever qualifies.”

Bach was the latest to urge golf’s tour to come into full compliance with the World Anti-Doping Agency policy. The International Golf Federation, the governing body for golf in the Olympics, will produce a list of eligible athletes for the games on May 6. In the 13 weeks leading to the Olympics, they will fall under the Olympics’ strict testing code which includes notifying officials of their daily whereabouts to be available for testing at any time.

“They all have to accept it,” Bach said. “Prior to the games and from now on, I can only encourage PGA Tour to follow the WADA code, and finally to accept the WADA code and to be compliant with this so that you harmonized anti-doping regime there for all the golf players, and that you have an equal level of playing field for all the golfers.”

R&A chief Peter Dawson said Wednesday he hoped that all tours “move toward being wider compliant at all times” after the Olympics. WADA’s director general, David Howman, said he hoped that Rio would spur the PGA Tour and all other golf organizations to adopt WADA’s “gold standard.”

The Olympics will feature a 60-player field for men and women based on the world ranking. Countries are allowed a maximum of four players, but the third or fourth players must be among the top 15 in the world ranking. If the deadline were now, the United States would be the only country with more than two.

The format proposed is 72 holes of stroke play, just like most tournaments. There will be no team competition.

“The Olympic Games are about the best athletes of the world coming together, and there we do not need any additional, spectacular or great action,” Bach said. “I think it would be good if you would have not only as many players from as many different national Olympic committees being qualified, but also broad distribution of medals and rankings.”

Bach said the format could change for Tokyo in 2020 if necessary. He said adding a team medal depends on how that affects the maximum events allowed.

He also wasn’t bothered by comments over the years that a gold medal at the Olympics won’t have the same prestige as a green jacket from the Masters or a claret jug from the British Open.

“Let them make the experience and then ask the gold medalist after he has been standing on the podium, listening to the anthem and being celebrated by the world,” Bach said. “Then he will give you the answer – he or she.”

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The British Open was stopped just 32 minutes after it resumed Saturday morning when gusts of up to 64 kph blew golf balls across the green and contributed to Dustin Johnson making bogey to fall into a share of the lead.

The second weather delay – rain on Friday, wind on Saturday – meant the first Monday finish in the British Open since 1988.

The R&A was hopeful of resuming the second round at 4 p.m. The third round is set for Sunday and the final round on Monday. The last major to end on Monday (without a playoff) was the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black won by Lucas Glover.

The R&A was criticized for even resuming the second round. Louis Oosthuizen, who got the good end of the weather when he won at St. Andrews in 2010, had a tap-in for par when a gust blew his golf ball a few feet away. As he stopped and smiled in disbelief, another gust moved it even further away.

About that time, Brooks Koepka tried to mark his ball five times on the 11th green – the most exposed on the golf course with the Eden Estuary on one side and St. Andrews Bay on the other – when play was halted.

R&A rules director David Rickman said his staff spent an hour on the 11th green without seeing a ball move, leading to the decision to try to play.

“What we weren’t expecting when we made the decision to go was the wind picked up,” he said. “We picked up 10 percent – 6.5 kph – in the half-hour after we started. We were close to the edge, anyway. That was the difference. As an administrator, my heart sank. Because I thought, `This has changed.’ It was always going to be a difficult day.”

Jordan Spieth, going after the third leg of the Grand Slam, was caught on television saying, “We never should have started.”

All it took was a half-hour for the wind to wreak havoc on the Old Course.

Johnson was at 10-under par and played his third shot from just short of the green on the par-5 14th. He chose to pitch it up a steep bank instead of using the putter, stubbed and barely reached the flat level of the green some 50 feet from the flag. His coin was a fraction away from marking his ball when it rolled away, down the slope and right toward Spieth’s ball. Spieth ran over, then quickly moved out of the way as Johnson’s ball rolled by.

Johnson putted the next one to about 15 feet and missed that for a bogey to fall into a tie at 9 under with Danny Willett, the clubhouse leader at 9-under 135. Spieth rolled his putt up to 8 feet and missed the birdie try. It was his fourth three-putt of the round. He was four shots out of the lead.

Up ahead, Brendon Todd had three holes to finish. He three-putted the 16th and 17th for bogeys and made par on the last hole to assure making the cut.

The temperature was cold in the wind. Todd was running hot, especially after play was halted right when he finished.

“I was pretty frustrated,” he said. “I three-putted 16 and 17, and then they’re going to call play. Why did we even start in the first place? Everyone is going to play in difficult conditions. With links golf, you get different draws and that’s the nature of the game. What I don’t like is when they make a bad decision to start in the first place.”

The real trouble was at the loop – holes 7-11 that are the most exposed.

The incident with Koepka was one thing. But when word came in that wind was affecting the inward holes – Oosthuizen on No. 13, for example – it was clear it had to stop.

It all added to another long day at St. Andrews, and it sure felt that way to David Duval, Stewart Cink and Ben Curtis. They woke up early to warm up and be in position at 7 a.m. They were to start on No. 11. But with Koepka’s issues on the green, they stood on the tee for more than 30 minutes without ever hitting a shot. Duval said there were three groups waiting on the tee when the siren sounded to stop.

The R&A said it was unlikely the second round would resume until 3 p.m., and the last group is still on the ninth hole. The third round was to feature threesomes, and Rickman was trying to figure out how to finish by Sunday. The forecast for the final round is for calmer conditions.

The last time the Open finished on a Monday was in 1988 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes because of rain. Seve Ballesteros won his third claret jug over Nick Price, Nick Faldo and Fred Couples, all of whom are in the Hall of Fame.